Between the Lines: Tales of Fiore
by riverofmemories
Summary: A collection of stories from the universe of Between the Lines.
1. The Tale of Yukino

" _I learned of it by accident only a few years ago when_ someone _broke into my home and decided to dig through my things for a cursed object."_

" _That was an accident. I thought no one was home. Rogue lied to me."_

" _I did not. I told you to be quiet because someone might hear you."_

 _~Yukino, Sting, & Rogue; Between the Lines, Chapter 13_

* * *

The sound of something shattering snapped Yukino Auguria awake and she hastily sat up, drawing her blanket around her shoulders. Her lips pressed together, her eyes darting this way and that as she searched her dark space to locate the source. Her fingers sought for her phone, but she remembered leaving it in the kitchen and she cursed herself.

Anxious now, Yukino searched the area around her for a weapon. She came up with the remote and shrugged to herself, gripping it as she climbed to her feet. Nervously, she treaded through her home until she found herself faltering in he bedroom doorway. She could hear a low rumbling voice grumbling in there, muttering about something or another.

Swallowing thickly, Yukino ducked into the room and demanded, "Who's there?"

Immediately, she wanted to smack herself, because _honestly_ , the only one who shouted that? The person who died first in a horror film. Irritated, she wielded her remote, trembling just barely as the person who'd broken in through her window and tripped over her nightstand while sending its contents flying whirled around to face her with a shocked wheeze.

Yukino let the remote fly and it smacked off of the man's face. He yelped, dropping with a hand covering his nose, and she stood there shivering in fear, ready to bolt if need be. There was a moment of silence as the man tried to comprehend what he'd just been hit with.

Finally, he demanded, "Did you...you just threw a TV remote at my face, lady!"

"And _you_ invaded my home!" she shrieked back.

"...point taken, but that _hurt_." He took a moment, rubbing his face, and then jolted. "Oh, _shit_ , there's someone home?!" He shot to his feet, looking ready to dive right back out through the window he'd shattered.

"Don't you move a muscle," Yukino hissed. "You're staying right there and I'm calling the cops on you-"

"No, wait, I'm not here to steal - well, sort of, but the thing is kind of cursed, so I need to get it the hell out of here-"

"Oh, wow," Yukino breathed. "You're really insane."

There was another moment as they stared each other down.

And then Yukino whirled, abandoning her blanket. She darted for her phone in the kitchen and he swore as he gave chase. She screeched as he tackled her to the ground, struggling to pin her there and cover her mouth at the same time, but she fought viciously, raking her nails down his cheek as she tried to get away.

"Will...you...hold... _still_!" he cried, sounding exasperated. "I'm trying to help you! I didn't even think someone was home! That bastard lied to me...I'm gonna throttle him next time I see him - _oof_!" He grunted as she kneed him in the stomach and then ran around the other side of the couch. He caught himself on the armrest after trying to catch her again, eyes wide as blood dripped down his cheek from where she'd scratched him.

"Stay away from me," Yukino said darkly, looking for something else to use as a weapon and regretting the fact that she didn't have anything else to use.

"I'm trying to _help_ ," he practically wailed. "There's a cursed object in here somewhere that I need to take, and then I'll leave!"

"Liar!" she squealed, finding another remote. He ducked as she threw it, smirking only to receive a pillow in the face. He spat something that seemed to turn the pillow into a mess of burned feathers.

Her jaw dropped. He froze, and then fisted his hands in his hair, swearing. "Damn it! You didn't see that, you hear me?! You saw nothing! Look, just show me where the weirdest oldest item you have is and I'll leave after that!"

"Did you just turn my pillow into nothing?" she whispered, a trickle of fear running down her spine.

"Uh...so I'm going to guess that the Sabertooth check is a _no_ ," he muttered and then pointed at her. "You! I won't hurt you! I promise. But you _will_ get hurt by something else if you don't help me find the cursed object!"

"Leave," she retorted, "And maybe I won't throw something at you!"

"I can't until I have that object!" he replied, frustrated. "What if I pay you? I'll give you money to let me look around for it! I will literally pay you however much money you want to let me run around and find this thing and then I'll even pay you again for the object."

Yukino was somewhat offended. "Am I really that poor-looking?" she huffed. "I didn't know that breaking into someone's house meant you were allowed to insult them, too."

He moaned in frustration, flustered. "I didn't mean to insult you, I just meant that...uh, damn, how do I explain any of this-"

He was cut off when something crashed to the ground, shattering. Both looked over their shoulders at a vase that had been knocked off a shelf and somehow broken itself. Yukino's lips parted, and then her mouth closed as she tried to comprehend what she was looking at. A moment later, the entire shelf crashed to the ground, a breath away from her, and she squealed, racing around to stand beside the person who'd broken in.

He gawked at the tipped shelf. "...did you break anything old sometime in the last week or so?"

"A pot I'd been using as a planter. Why?"

"Cursed object." He suddenly spun around to face her, dropping his hands heavily onto her shoulders. She jumped, dark eyes snapping wide. He suddenly grinned hugely and told her cheerfully, "Alright, Miss-"

"Auguria. Yukino Auguria."

"Alright, Miss Auguria. Here's what's going to happen. You broke a cursed object and released a spirit that has been imprisoned in there for thousands of years and was probably hiding itself in your house to avoid detection. It's by no fault of your own, of course. But I'm going to need you to walk you pretty little self outside and stamp on a shadow in the shape of a tree that has no tree to make it - it should be to the left of your front door. When someone inevitably climbs out of seemingly nowhere, you're going to tell him that Sting Eucliffe is very, very unhappy with him and then send him in to help me, okay?"

"...okay?" she squeaked, and then shrieked when he shoved her head down and ducked his own. A knife flew over their heads and shattered itself on a brick wall from the force. "Oh, my-"

"Go," he ordered, pushing her towards the door, settling into a stance as he braced himself, his jaw dropping. Yukino paused to stare when a massive ball of blinding white light seemed to swirl into view, his blue eyes narrowing into slits as he unleashed the light upon a book that flew at him.

By the time ash struck the floor, there was nothing left.

Yukino rushed to the door, yanking desperately after unlocking it, but found to her horror that it wouldn't open. "Mr. Eucliffe," she called, "It's not opening!" He glanced back, caught sight of what was happening, and slowly backed towards her, a sound akin to a growl rumbling from his throat.

"Move," he muttered. She stepped aside and he tested the door before swearing under his breath and dropping to his knees, checking the handle. After tugging a few more times he finally just told her, "Sabertooth will pay for repairs," and summoned that same odd white light to his mouth.

He quite literally blasted down the door and then pushed her through the empty door frame. She rushed down the steps that led to her door as he yelped, hunting the strange shadow she'd been told to look for. Rather than stamping on it like Sting had told her to do, however, Yukino crouched and awkwardly tapped on it, furrowing her brow. "Um, excuse me?"

She nearly screamed when the shadows jerked away and swirled together, a head rising out of the center of them. Crimson eyes stared at her in surprise. Before he could get a word in, she said quickly, "Um, Mr. Eucliffe is having some problems and said you would help him."

He stared at her for a few more moments and then suddenly surged entirely out of the shadows. She found herself bewildered at the odd clothes he wore. What looked like a traditional piece of clothing had been put on halfway, leaving his arm free to move while showing off an odd symbol like a sabertooth tiger's head in black. What looked like black leather armor covered his chest, and she didn't have time to see what the rest of his outfit was before he'd darted inside.

"You're bleeding!"

The high-pitched voice caught her attention and her head snapped around. Yukino squeaked in surprise at the sight of two cats - one in a blue vest with red fur and the other with green fur and a frog suit - standing here, tails waving. She almost didn't believe it was them who were speaking.

Until the red-furred cat said very seriously, "You should make sure to get that looked at, lady, it's not good when you hit your head."

"I didn't hit my head," she whispered, unable to comprehend what she needed to do. Did she call the cops? No, they'd send her to a mental institution to get her looked at…

Her breath came quickly and heavily suddenly, and tears gathered in her eyes. The frog-suited cat looked horrified as he scrambled over and straight into her lap. She jumped as he purred and looked soothingly up at her with happy eyes. "You'll be okay," he promised.

She gave a hysterical laugh. "Talking cats. Who would have thought. There are _talking cats_ and there's strangers breaking in and fighting with a ghost or something, all while-" She cut off, bursting into tears.

The cat in the frog suit looked anxiously to his friend, who shrugged his shoulders and scoffed, "Humans."

* * *

Yukino ended up spending the remainder of the night in a chair on the porch, curled up with a blanket she'd miraculously left out there. By the time she'd awoken, Sting Eucliffe and the weird cats and his friend were gone. She swallowed thickly as she stared at her destroyed door and the mess that was her living room and dining room.

"I suppose," she muttered. "I could call the police...but what the hell do I tell them?"

"Yukino?" she heard a neighbor call. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Fine!" Yukino called back, pressing her lips together. "Um, I'm not entirely sure." Quickly, she lied, "I came home a few minutes ago and found my house like this. I guess someone broke in and wrecked the place?"

Her neighbor sympathetically made a noise. "Want me to call the police?" he offered.

She shook her head. "No, I'll do it. Thank you though." She scratched her head uncertainly, hand on her hips.

Where did she even begin?

She contemplated this as the neighbor wandered away - some neighbor he was, not even insisting on making sure nobody was in the house. She shook her head and sank onto the steps with a groan, rubbing her temples.

"Excuse me? Miss Auguria?"

Yukino raised her head again, furrowing her brow.

Before her was none other than the man she'd seen emerge from the shadows the night before. He was dressed in clothes that weren't nearly as weird as the ones he'd worn last night - a simple black hoodie and a pair of jeans. He was alone, his dark hair drawn into a ponytail at the back of his head. In the daylight, she could now see that his eyes were closer to a ruby color than crimson.

He offered his hand to shake, serious. "I'm Rogue Cheney, a mage of Sabertooth. I'll be staying with you until that moron is done being questioned by the Council and can come speak to you about options."

Her mouth opened and then closed, because what could she even say?

Finally, she said faintly, "Um, I suppose there's no way I can send you away, is there?"

He gave her a thoughtful look. "My apologies, but no."

"Then come in," she sighed. "I mean, I don't really have anywhere for you to sit anymore, but you're welcome to find somewhere. My house was only wrecked a little, you know."

He grimaced. "We'll repay you for any damages caused."

"Thank you, but I'd really just like to lay down and go to sleep and never wake up at this point," Yukino muttered. "Apparently there's a lot of things I didn't know about."

To her surprise, he chuckled. "The reality of the world is rarely pleasant. I'm willing to answer any questions you may have while we wait for Sting and whatever member of the Council that comes with."

Yukino didn't hesitate to demand, "What was the light in his mouth?"

"Magic. White dragon slayer magic, to be precise." They made their way into her destroyed house. "He is the only known white dragon slayer. I myself possess shadow dragon slayer magic. There are three other dragon slayers, all in the Fairy Tail guild, but there are only five of us in total."

Yukino noted this. "What were the talking cats?"

He looked surprised. "I had forgotten you saw them...Frosch and Lector. We aren't sure on what magic allows them to talk. They grow wings and fly as well if they feel like it. Frosch is my friend, and while I am fond of Lector, he is more of Sting's friend. I'm considered to be Sting's partner. In our world, a partner is someone you're close with and regularly work with. Within guilds there are also teams, but they aren't generally as close as partners."

"So what guild are you a part of? Sabertooth?" She swept some wood off of her couch and with Rogue's help, shoved it upright. When it had been fixed, Rogue settled onto it, but the anxious woman kept cleaning. "And you said there was a guild called Fairy Tail. How many others?"

"We are a part of Sabertooth. Sting was just recently made into the guild master after our last was forcefully retired by the Council and thrown in prison for illegal matters." Rogue tilted his head a fraction as he watched Yukino bustle this way and that, hands fidgeting. His eyes were locked curiously on a necklace she wore, its gold color glittering in the light. She seemed to have forgotten she was wearing it in all of the commotion and every now and then would grip it for comfort. "There's Fairy Tail, a guild we work closely with. They're based in Magnolia. Hargeon has Lamia Scale. Various other guilds are scattered throughout the country. We aren't quite sure about other countries, though the Council works closely with the other Councils."

"Council?"

"Magic Council. They work with the royal family of Fiore and keep us magic users under control. They're like a secretly run government or something similar." Rogue leaned back on the couch. "I take it you're not a mage yourself?"

Yukino shook her head, pausing in picking up pieces of her bookshelf with her hand. "Heavens no. I'm as human as you can get, I suppose." She thoughtfully considered what it would be like to use magic and hesitantly asked, "Guilds...how do they work? Is it only for work?"

He snorted. "Most, no. Ours was strict for years with our last guildmaster, but it's loosened up under Sting. Guilds are meant to be families of mages that work together and help one another in times of need."

Yukino found herself honestly sad that she wasn't a mage. "Ah, that must be nice," she admitted, not looking at him. "Guilds, I mean. My family doesn't really exist. My sister vanished years ago. My parents are dead. A family that isn't necessarily blood sounds just as lovely as having my family back would be."

"Your sister disappeared?" He looked curious. "My father vanished into thin air as well. I doubt they would have had much to do with one another, however. My father was, after all, a dragon."

The wood Yukino had gathered dropped right back to the floor and she openly gawked at the amused looking man on her couch. "You're kidding," she breathed.

He shook his head. "The five dragon slayers were raised by dragons. Mine was the shadow dragon Skiadrum. Sting was raised by-"

"Weisslogia," said man drawled as he stepped into the house, blue eyes glittering with amusement as Yukino's head snapped around. He smirked, showing off larger than average canine teeth and then wiggled his eyebrows playfully at Yukino. "Hello, remote lady."

She let her lips set in a pout and glared openly at him, ignoring the fact that he supported a nasty bruise on his face from where she'd struck him with her TV remote. Instead, she turned her attention on the patient man beside him. Noticing her shift in attention, Sting grandly introduced, "Miss Yukino Auguria, this is Lahar, a member of the Council. Lahar, this is-"

"Yukino Auguria, I assume," he cut in, rolling his eyes. He inclined his head towards the woman. "Forgive us for the scare you received last night, Miss Auguria."

"It's his fault," Sting added, pointing at Rogue. "He said no one was home."

"Again," Rogue sighed, climbing to his feet. "I told you to be quiet or someone would hear you, idiot. I was explaining bits of our world to Miss Auguria," he explained to a curious Lahar. "I thought, perhaps, she might be capable of learning magic herself."

"Really." Lahar looked even more curious.

"You do?" Yukino demanded, just as startled.

"There are thousands of type of magic," Lahar explained, turning to her with a thoughtful look. He offered her a pleasant smile, though it was tight with stress. "There very easily could be a type you could learn if you applied yourself. You'd be required by our law to join a guild, of course. As Sting was the reason you learned of our world, it will fall under his responsibility to watch over you and guide you in a proper direction with magic."

Yukino gave him an uncertain look and Sting pouted. "What? I can be a good person, I promise."

"Rogue would help as well, naturally," Lahar said with an expression of appreciation. "You wouldn't be entrusted entirely to this moron. You'd have to study heavily and be required to take several tests if you were even able to summon a fraction of magic."

"But you'd let me try to learn?" Yukino was amazed - and eager. If they were willing to offer the family that Rogue had mentioned to her-

"Of course. So long as you are willing to keep your mouth shut about it." Lahar suddenly scowled. "We can't afford magic to be revealed. It would cost us greatly and there would be a devastating amount of damage nationwide."

"I'll stay quiet," she said hastily. "I won't say a word."

"Good." Lahar studied her for a moment longer - until Rogue spoke up.

"You can trust us in this," he told him. "We'll watch her, see what we can figure out in regards to various types of magic she could use."

"Oh, I believe that you can be trusted. I'm concerned about Mr. Eucliffe, however, as he's already revealed magic by accident once." Sting's face hardened as Lahar turned to him and said warningly, "Don't forget, Sting. We can strip you of your emblem and throw you into prison should this happen again."

Rogue's hands clenched into fists and Sting glared furiously at Lahar for a moment before growling, "It won't happen again. Why the hell aren't you bastards this strict with Fairy Tail? I know Natsu blew up something again that made the news. Why aren't you throwing _him_ in prison?"

"One, you're a guildmaster and should set an example. Two, it's Fairy Tail. We expect better of the Sabertooth guild." He removed a card from his coat and handed it to Yukino. "Should you find out that you are capable of magic, contact me. If you have not found anything within the next few months, I will come back and we will talk again."

"Yes, sir," Yukino said in a small voice.

Lahar nodded curtly to Sting and left without another word.

When he was gone, Sting made a look of disgust. "I hate the Council."

"Yes, well, without them, we'd have no one to keep the black mages under control," Rogue sighed and then turned to Yukino. "Our guildhall is on the outskirts of the city, but you really shouldn't be entering it until you've learned even a little magic. It'll be bad for Sting. There's still some supporters of the previous guildmaster within the guild."

"It's okay," Yukino reassured. "I can do some research here at home and when I've come up with a list of magic-"

"For one, I'd suggest looking at the Mages of Fiore website," Sting suggested.

"And perhaps focus on celestial magic," Rogue added, his gaze darting to the golden key that hung from her throat. Sting gazed questioningly at his partner, head tilted a fraction. "Celestial magic is one that supposedly summons the stars themselves. If you look at the site Sting mentioned, it says that they're summoned by special keys that hold their specific symbol."

Yukino immediately touched the key at her neck, eyes widening with shock. Her lips parted as she wrapped her fingers around it, knowing instinctively that the zodiac sign for Pisces rested there. "I'll make sure to do that."

Sting mockingly bowed, "Then we'll be off. I'll send a check for repairs in a day or two."

"One of us will stop by tomorrow," Rogue sighed. "Likely me. Sting has a couple dozen stacks of paperwork to see to."

Yukino only smiled. "Thank you."

Rogue ducked out of the house without a backwards glance, but Yukino hastily stopped Sting with a touch to his arm, her dark eyes wide. "I'm sorry about the remote, by the way. Hitting you with it."

"I broke into your house." Sting shrugged, and then offered her a huge grin. "See ya 'round!"

And then he was gone, and Yukino was left alone with her thoughts and a key that she vowed to never lose months later, when she summoned her very first Celestial Spirit.

* * *

"Huh," a curious Lucy huffed, chin on her open palm and a drink in front of her. Her brown eyes were warm with excitement, sparkling as Yukino finished her story, and beside her, Natsu snorted. "Your introduction to magic was a hell of a lot more peaceful than mine."

Amused, Yukino, who was settled between Rogue and Sting in a booth at the restaurant the group had agreed to meet up in, smiled and settled back. She wore a kind look on her face as she fiddled with Pisces key. "As you can see, however, the Council was a bit harsher back then on Sabertooth though."

"Let's give your guild all the freedom," Sting said sarcastically. "But heaven forbid we let Sabertooth get out of hand!"

"Oh, hush," Yukino huffed, smacking his arm. She turned her attention back on Lucy. "That wasn't even half as bad as the first time they took me on a job. The guild was friendly. A few people wanted to be friendly the first time I set foot in there, but Sting somehow decided on his own that we and Lector and Frosch were a team, so of course they went with me."

Rogue shuddered at the memory. "I thought Sting was an idiot when he messed up everything for Yukino...that had nothing on what he did then."

"What the hell did you do?" Natsu demanded.

Yukino exchanged a look with Sting when he suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth and glared at her and Rogue. "You swore you would never speak of that again."

"Sting _might_ have let me get buried in an abandoned mine shaft we were searching for a black mage," Yukino told them after shoving his hand away.

Sting moaned pathetically and draped himself over the table dramatically.

Yukino gave a secretive smile when Lucy and Natsu gawked at him and Rogue chuckled at his partner's pain.

"But that's a story for another time."

* * *

 _A Christmas gift for both my lovely editor Bubbles and all of you who read Between the Lines! Thank you all for your continued support! PERHAPS I will write that first mission for Yukino someday. ;)_


	2. The Tale of Beginnings

" _And then Pyxis led me to him._

 _He held my tiny two-year-old daughter in his arms. He was protective of her, snarling at me the second I appeared, though he relaxed when he saw just who I was. He mused that Lucy looked like me before handing her straight into my arms. He was a strange man. I requested to know who he was._

 _He answered with the most interesting answer that I've ever heard. His name is Igneel. And he is the Fire Dragon King, the leader of the dragons, though he wore some kind of human appearance at the time. He apologized for frightening me, that he'd rescued my daughter, something that I will forever appreciate. In return, I promised him a favor that he promised to someday collect on."_

~Layla (via diary); Between the Lines, Chapter 94

* * *

As she stared at the bodies before her, Layla Heartfilia felt numb. She was barely aware of the two Spirits beside her, one on each side. Pyxis was silent, looking up at her anxiously; Scorpio quietly rested a hand on her shoulder, face dark as he leaned in and murmured, "Miss Layla, what would you have us do?"

She didn't answer right away, staring at the bodies. Each was charred beyond recognition, burned to a crisp. Layla's fingers tightened into fists against her pant-clad legs. She'd exchanged her normal large dresses - as hated as they were - for them, in order to search faster. Jude had remained in the Estate, much to her disgust, as they spent hours upon hours hunting through the trees Layla had once felt so safe to leave Lucy with Leo in..

But each body was burned beyond recognition, as she'd thought over several times. Blood stained the grass beneath them, where the grass wasn't charred. The guards accompanying Layla were silent, waiting for orders.

"Miss Layla," Scorpio said suddenly, "if I could speak-"

"Then speak," she ordered, voice dead.

"None of them are Miss Lucy," said Scorpio.

Layla stilled. Slowly, her head turned to face the Spirit, who met her gaze seriously. "What?" she breathed.

"None of them are Miss Lucy," Scorpio repeated, gesturing to the charred bodies. "They're all too large. They're the men who took her, I'd be willing to bet, but that means Miss Lucy is alive. Whoever did this...they took her from them, killed them, left. She's alive."

Layla breathed out a massive relieved gust of air. "Thank you." She whirled around to the guards. "Search the area. If you find a man or woman with my daughter, bring them to me. Alive. Do not harm him or her unless they are threatening Lucy, am I clear?"

"Yes, your Majesty," a soft-voiced guard murmured, and then everyone was spreading out.

Layla turned to Pyxis, resting her fingers on its head. "Lead me to her. Lead me to my daughter, Pyxis."

Pyxis nodded curtly and closed its eyes, the compass upon its head spinning as it sought out her daughter. Scorpio and Layla remained silent, watching the Spirit intently until it suddenly snapped its eyes open and scurried forward. Layla took off at a jog after it, Scorpio following from behind to keep an eye out for danger. Her fingers trembled, her dark eyes serious as they ran through the trees, looking for Lucy.

And then a sound brought them to a stop. Scorpio hovered over her shoulder, his gaze lethal. "Summon Leo," he ordered, listening to the rumbling snarl that echoed through her ears. Layla inclined her head.

"I will," she decided, wary of the thing that might be making such a sound. In the modern day, there were still odd magic-based monsters that wandered the world. They weren't nearly as common as they had once been. But it worried her that one might be near Lucy.

Scorpio vanished and Layla summoned Leo without a second thought. The suit-clad Spirit appeared beside her, his green eyes shimmering behind a set of shades. Layla searched his gaze when he met her eyes. "Is she okay?" she whispered.

"Princess," Leo reassured, touching her shoulder affectionately, "is safe. Come."

Leo took the lead as Pyxis disappeared in a flash of light. Layla followed her trusted Spirit forward, her fingers fidgeting. There wasn't much she loved in her life as the queen. Jude once, but he'd long since become someone she could hardly tolerate. Yet she couldn't help but be thankful for the gift he'd given her: Lucy.

When they stepped out of the trees, the first thing Layla heard was the soft pealing laughter of her daughter. Layla's shoulders loosened, tears of relief in her eyes. The second thing she took note of was the man that held her daughter, his expression soft as he playfully kept her occupied from where he was seated in the grass, long legs sprawled out before him. Long red hair, spilling over his shoulders, with green eyes so sharp they could have pierced her like an arrow. His body was clad in older clothes, worn and ragged, but working.

And he looked up at her after a moment. He looked at Layla, and his expression became dark, murderous, as he bared his teeth and snarled at the young queen. Layla stiffened and Leo put an arm in front of her, growling himself. "Igneel," he seethed.

"Leo," the dragon retorted, growling low in his throat.

In the circle of his arms, Lucy giggled and squealed at the sight of her mother. "Momma," she crooned.

"Lucy," Layla breathed, voice quivering. She threw out her arms and was somewhat surprised when the dragon lowered his curled lips and studied her before standing, carrying Lucy straight to her. He extended his arms, holding Lucy out to Layla, and the blonde woman took her daughter with a sob of gratitude.

"She looks like you," he mused. "You're her mother, I suppose."

"Yes," Layla breathed, burying her face in Lucy's hair. Lucy giggled and murmured something unintelligible. "Thank you. Thank you." She took a deep breath and then pulled back to look at the dragon. He stood taller than she did, and he was looking at her with interest. "Who are you?"

"Igneel," he rumbled, cocking his head. There was an unreadable expression on his face. Layla thought it might have been gentle interest. "I am the Fire Dragon King, leader of the dragons." He jerked his chin at Lucy. "I found the men in the trees, contemplating what the ransom for her would be, and took her from them."

"Thank you," Layla breathed again. "I am truly grateful to you for saving her. Is there...is there something I can give you in return? I'm Layla Heartfilia, the queen of Bosco. Anything...anything you want, it's yours."

Igneel studied her closely and said, "I have nothing I desire as of right now. But perhaps later."

"When you find something, tell me." Layla was serious. No matter what he might request, this strange dragon, she would agree to it. She would forever be appreciative of the fact that he'd saved Lucy. It wasn't something that she would ever forget.

After giving Lucy a final hug, she gently slid her daughter into Leo's arms. The Spirit looked nervous, as well as caught by surprise. As if he couldn't believe that Layla was entrusting Lucy to him after he'd lost her the first time. "Hey, Princess," Leo said lowly, propping her on his hip in a manner he did often.

Layla smiled warmly at them and then turned back to Igneel, who was watching them curiously. "Celestial magic," she said proudly. "The Heartfilia bloodline is the only one that passes on the magic through its genetics." She shifted her weight slowly.

"Mages," Igneel chuckled, "have always fascinated me. You're merely human; you have the life spans of humans, yet you are so much more." He glanced at Leo, who grumbled upon having a dragon look at him. "And those of you who can befriend and use the skills of creatures of magic proportions…"

"Dragons," Layla repeated with a warm smile, "have fascinated me for as long as I can remember and I was entirely unaware that they actually existed. To find out that they do is an amazing opportunity I never expected to have."

Igneel chuckled and then said, "It has been an honor meeting you, Queen Layla, but I must be on my way. I'm headed to the Alvarez Empire to do some investigating. Supposedly there is a man there that is causing problems…. Have you heard anything about it?"

"No," Layla replied, shaking her head. "I apologize."

"It's alright," Igneel reassured and then smiled warmly when Lucy giggled and waved her small hand at him. "It's been an honor, your Highness," he rumbled to the young princess, "and a pleasure, Queen Layla." He bowed his head almost playfully, and then turned to leave. He paused, however, when Layla called his name.

Layla offered him a smile. "Feel free to stop by and visit if you come this way again, Fire Dragon King," she told him. "I don't get company very often and I wouldn't mind talking again."

Igneel looked startled, but studied her with a new light. Finally, he said, "Perhaps I will stop by." He offered a final smile and then disappeared into the trees, leaving Layla alone with Leo and Lucy. In the distance, they heard the callings of guards searching for the queen, growing more worried by the moment.

"Layla," Leo said suddenly, entirely serious. "You need to be careful. The dragons are not a group to take lightly."

"He seems to be a good person," Layla said dismissively, but stopped when Leo caught her shoulder and forced her to look at him.

"Do not," he said quietly, "dismiss my warning as nothing, Layla Heartfilia." His eyes blazed, and Layla stilled, surprised. He so very rarely grew angry with her like this. He studied her closely for a while and then told her, "You promised a dragon a favor without setting limits, Layla, and it will not end well. I know Igneel. He was there when my previous mistress sealed away the chaos dragon centuries ago - when she died because she didn't think ahead. She did it with her own willpower. She agreed to it. Do not - do _not_ \- let him turn you into what Anna became."

"I won't," Layla said gently, surprised with the fierceness of which he was speaking. "I promise you, Leo. I won't become what Anna became. I will not die for the Fire Dragon King. I promised a favor, not my life."

Leo didn't look at his mistress, staring into the trees after Igneel as he informed her grimly, "That's what Anna said, too."

* * *

Tears rolled down her face as she slouched to the ground, her magic drained. Her breath heaved in her chest and she forced a reassuring smile to her face when Leo dropped to his knees beside her, fretting. She could feel that drain down to the depths of her soul. It was not something she'd recover from, she realized, head spinning in circles. "Layla," Leo began, his voice thick with agony. He'd approved of Igneel's plan, even broken the orders and vows he'd been given and given himself, to help, but it had killed him. Would kill him, when his mistress inevitably died.

Various people would see to the placement of her keys, she knew. And she knew that this death would be slow; she would be able to see to everything and ensure that things went as they should. She clutched Leo's arm, resting her forehead on his shoulder. He let her, offering what support he could. He knew that their contract would end shortly, when he was punished. The Spirit King would not let him escape unscathed.

"Leo," she breathed, "do you think that this will work? Do you think that this will keep Acnologia imprisoned until-"

"Yes," he murmured, "and I'll make sure it does. You know I will."

"Oh, Leo," she said, shaking her head. A sob left her and Leo drew her closer, hugging her tightly. His heart was filled with agony. Their time together was coming to an end. She would die. He would have the contract broken off before being punished. He didn't even know how just yet.

But it wasn't Leo who Layla was crying over.

Only one name filled her mind with guilt, even as she knew her friend would suffer.

 _Lucy._

She'd be alone, so alone, with no Spirits and no mother. She'd have _no one_.

As if reading her mind, Leo snarled. "She'll be safe," he promised her in a whisper. "Lucy will be safe, Layla. I promise you. I will ensure her safety as soon as possible." She sobbed harder, uttering "I'm sorry!" under her breath over and over again, and Leo pressed his face into his mistress's hair, offering what comfort he could.

Her words echoed those of another.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ Anna had breathed, her face buried in his shoulder, unable to face the result of what she'd done. The betrayal had been written across her lover's face permanently, for all to see until he was somehow freed from the trap she'd set. _"I'm sorry!"_

Leo wondered just briefly if the cycle would ever end.

* * *

 _Really excited to release this piece! I hope you enjoyed!_


	3. The Tale of a New Age

" _[Loke] kissed her forehead, lingering, and then stepped away, offering a warm smile to Natsu when Natsu tucked the sniffling Lucy into his side and leaned his head into hers._

 _Loke's gaze lingered on the pair for a moment longer, and then Natsu tugged her away, towards the Gate. 'C'mon, Lucy,' he said, beaming at her. 'Let's go home.'_

 _Her eyes were nearly dry, a smile spreading across her face, as they stepped through the Gate hand in hand."_

~ _Between the Lines,_ Chapter 341

* * *

"Shut up," grumbled a very unhappy Larcade Dragneel from where he was seated, his fingers shoved through messy blond hair. The white cross that remained permanently etched into his forehead, even after the loss of his magic, seemed to glow softly in the light of the lamps within the room. Papers were spread out in every direction on the table he sat at, from advisers and leaders of all countries - even his own.

"I dont know," Brandish hummed, gaze skimming over a piece of paper in her hand, a smirk on her mouth, "what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." Larcade skimmed over the paper he'd picked up. _Irene...freedom...offers her assistance within the kingdom in exchange…_

"Ha!" he laughed, throwing that paper over his shoulder. "Like hell."

"You're too noisy," Brandish complained. She set her stack down, giving up. "I can't focus when you're in here."

"I told you you didn't have to help." Larcade gave up as well, frustrated. There was so much work, even seven years after the war had ended. The country was struggling. The people were anxious without their true emperor, questioning when one would be appointed with the loss of Zeref even as they celebrated the end of what had once been a peaceful reign but had become a tyrannical one in which people feared him. Several countries were demanding payment for the damage he'd done, even as the Empire itself struggled.

Bosco and Fiore were the only two _not_ demanding reparations, and they were the two who had been hurt the worst in the War. Larcade had thanked Hisui and Jellal in person for that during the one meeting the three had had at Crocus just days after magic had vanished.

"I think we should contact Jellal," Larcade said, rubbing his hands down his face with a heavy sigh. "He said to if we needed help. He offered to send a few of his guild over, to help us."

"I don't want them here. This is _our_ country. And our fault." Brandish had calmed over the problems regarding the throne, taking her work in the palace seriously. "We should be capable of dealing with the aftermath."

"I don't think we have much of a choice anymore though. I don't know where Uncle is, but he's not here, and I have thousands of people who are demanding something I don't think is right."

"You mean you have countless people within the Empire wanting you appointed to emperor because you're here and Natsu Dragneel isn't, but you don't want to." Brandish was always blunt about such matters.

But she wasn't wrong. He really didn't want to be the emperor. He was technically in line for the throne after Natsu, but...still. He _didn't want the throne_. Because what happened if the missing queen of Bosco showed up and he'd taken the throne? Larcade refused to wed the queen when his uncle was the one who'd promised August as much. As it was, Hisui had reluctantly expressed interest in an alliance between the Empire and Fiore, although Larcade knew it was only for the sake of her country. She had interest in someone else.

In other words...Larcade didn't want to be forced into a political marriage.

He wanted to be free to help his country with his hands, not with papers and politics.

Not that Natsu had really seemed interested in taking the throne himself, but Larcade thought it better for everyone that he do so. For one, it was likely the only way he could keep his relationship with Lucy Heartfilia.

Of course, Natsu actually had to come back from where he was first.

Brandish sighed softly, dragging him from his frustrated thoughts. "I suppose," she murmured, "we could contact Jellal Fernandes and his guild. We don't really have a choice. We're getting overloaded." She paused, and then said softly, her dark eyes brimming with grief, "I wish August was here. He would have been capable of figuring all of this out." She wished that the other Spriggans hadn't turned out to be terrible people in the end, too. That would have helped them as well.

"Me, too," Larcade sighed. He hated thinking of August. He missed the wise old man ferociously, and could easily recall the horror that had come with realizing that not only did they have to figure out how to have a funeral among all of the hate directed at the Spriggans, but that they'd not been sure about where the others had put his body.

They still didn't.

It killed him to this day.

Larcade pushed himself to his feet. "Come on," he said quietly, "let's go get some lunch and try again after. If we can't get it done by dinner, I'll contact Jellal and see what he can do for us. And if all else fails, I'm sure one of Uncle's guild could help."

Brandish made a face, but agreed. There was nothing else they could do without the help of others, more than likely, but she appreciated the matter of Larcade trying to help her save face.

The pair wandered through the mostly empty halls of the palace that had once been full of fear and silent people. Now, those who had remained after the loss of Zeref bustled around noisily, laughing. Larcade still found himself grinning, seven years after he'd come back, at that sound. It wasn't one that had been heard in the Alvarez Empire often before the War.

They were greeted warmly by various people as they passed them, and while Brandish merely nodded back, Larcade stopped to personally greet each and every one of them by name. It had taken a lot of work to be able to do such a thing, but he'd done it, and he still prided himself on such a matter. It'd be useful for when the real emperor-to-be came back, Larcade had argued when Brandish had said it would be a waste of time. He could help Natsu since August wasn't there.

The two cooks that remained where there had once been a dozen greeted both warmly when they entered the kitchens and settled into the comfortable table that had once only been for servants. "Hello, Lady Brandish," the cheerful older woman hummed as she swept over, setting plates of various foods in front of them. "Hello, Prince Larcade."

"Just Larcade," Larcade insisted, knowing better. This had become a three-times-a-day occurrence with this particular cook. She laughed him off and went back to what she'd been doing - likely preparing dinner with the other cook, who waved soundlessly.

Larcade grinned as he dug into his lunch with a happy sound. He remembered a time when the palace had been anything but pleasant, when people had been scared to so much as look up from their feet. While he regretted the actions that Zeref had taken and wished the man who had adopted him had turned out to realize how much he was hurting others...he couldn't help but think that this was for the best. People could actually live in their country now, and in light rather than fear.

People could be happy now, and it meant his country could be a much nicer place.

 _They_ could be happier, even if they spent most of their time dealing with political nonsense until Natsu and Lucy came back.

And Larcade, who'd experienced the War firsthand, was beyond grateful for it.

* * *

The rest of the day went by fairly slowly, with the majority of it being spent in a chair, looking at documents that declared the desires of different people. Larcade and Brandish eventually simply gave up after trying to find deals that would work for anyone and found themselves unsuccessful. They agreed that come morning they would call Jellal together to figure out what could be done, and then went their separate ways for the night.

Larcade retreated to his room with a heavy sigh, rubbing his hands down his face as he went, wishing he could just scrub off his annoyance. It was a waste of energy, and he knew it wouldn't get anything accomplished, but he found himself extremely tired of dealing with everything.

Something like that would never go away, he thought miserably as he collapsed onto his bed, grimacing.

He was technically royalty, whether his uncle came back or not. Even if Natsu did miraculously make an appearance after seven years...he couldn't just ditch his responsibilities and vanish off to do what he wanted. He was stuck with this.

Larcade tucked his legs in, resting his chin on a knee and glancing out of the corner of his eye in thought at the window that displayed the endless stars, stretching out above the capital of his country. He loved the Empire, had always loved it even when he'd defended it and more as one of Zeref's Spriggans, and he hated how other countries failed to realize how much they were struggling even this long after the war. Only Fiore and Bosco had recognized such a matter, and it was a relief. He couldn't imagine dealing with everything if they'd come after them, too.

A flash of metal caught his attention and Larcade blinked, recognizing the metallic bookmark Lucy had sent him for his birthday. He remembered the friendly queen, who'd gone through so much effort to befriend him and show him that not everything Zeref had said about the Ishgar continent was true in the slightest.

A stab of anger towards Zeref flashed through him. _This is his fault._ If Zeref hadn't gone through with his _ridiculous_ ideals and desires regarding Fairy Heart and END-

The doors to Larcade's rooms slammed open and Larcade squawked, jumping. "What the hell, Brandish?" he snapped. "It's, what, almost one in the morning?"

Brandish took only a brief moment to look amused before she said firmly, "Something's happened at the Alvarez Eclipse Gate."

Larcade shot to his feet, forgoing the traditional cloth he usually wore around him. "What? But there's been no magic anywhere in this place for years-"

"So stop talking," Brandish hissed, gesturing for him to get a move on. "And let's go look! A guard reported it and several have gone ahead of us, but won't make a move until we arrive."

Larcade barely stopped to put shoes on before sprinting out of the room. He and Brandish bolted through the darkened halls of the palace, which was slowly becoming more active as people were awoken by others who were informing everyone else about the matter of something happening near the Alvarez Gate.

Larcade had never been more grateful that the Alvarez Gate was only a quarter of a mile from the main entrance to the palace.

When he and Brandish caught sight of it, both faltered. A bright light was filling the air, spilling from where the Gate had cracked open. He exchanged a glance with his fellow ex-Spriggan, stomach churning. Magic had been absent in their world for a long time. To see something akin to it happening...Larcade was both hopeful and terrified.

Hopeful, because he missed the warmth his magic had provided, the adventures that had come with it.

And terrified, because what if it meant the return of the two dark creatures that had been erased alongside it? Acnologia alone would be troublesome.

"Move," he barked, harsh for once as he pushed his way past others. Brandish didn't need to bother pushing; people moved aside as soon as they saw her face. Eventually, they made it to the front of the crowds, side-by-side, with guards on either side of them, ready to interfere. They were the most important people in the Empire at the moment, and everyone there was well aware of it.

Brandish cloaked her eyes with her hand, wincing as the light seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Larcade merely forced himself to squint past it as shouts and murmurs rippled through the people that had gathered. He was certain that every person from the palace was there, along with a few civilians that had begun to squeeze their way through, interested in what was going on.

Just as suddenly as it had began, the Gate suddenly slammed shut with a crack that shook the ground. Larcade kept his balance even as others fell behind him with practiced ease, not tearing his eyes away from the base of the Eclipse Gate, his heart missing a beat when he caught a glimpse of shockingly pink hair.

"Yo," said Natsu Dragneel as if he'd not been missing for seven years, grinning widely and lifting a hand in greeting. He stood there before the Gate and those surrounding it, hand in hand with the queen of Bosco, who was looking at him with exasperation.

"You've got to be kidding me," Brandish whispered beside him in horror. "This is the man who's going to lead our country out of ruin? Gone, leaving us to deal with the aftermath of the War for seven years, and his first word is 'yo?'"

Larcade ignored her, although the urge to laugh bubbled up in his chest. He didn't hesitate, stepping forward to greet the pair. He could tell immediately that they'd not experienced the seven years in the same way the rest of the world had. The way Lucy instinctively slid her gaze around, as if looking for danger, was enough - even if the injuries weren't. Natsu's face alone was a mess, with deep scarring that cut through one of his eyes to the point that he'd been blinded. It looked fresh, as if bandages had only recently been taken off, and there was an equally as fresh scar a few inches below Lucy's left collarbone, where her heart was. And then there was their age - neither looked a day older than the last time Larcade had seen them.

He didn't know where these two had been - but he could tell immediately that they'd had far less time to recover than the rest of them. It was for that reason that he stepped forward and took hold of the hand Lucy had shaken free of Natsu's, clasping it in greeting while simultaneously leaning forward and murmuring, "It's quieter inside."

Gratitude flickered over her features and Natsu looked a little happier with the idea of not being subjected to the stares of others, too.

* * *

The rest of the night went by in such a colossal commotion that Larcade found himself without a moment of sleep. No one else really got any sleep either, so at least he wasn't alone in the matter, he supposed. Everyone looked exhausted when he met Lucy, Natsu, and Brandish in a room that made all but one uncomfortable for several reasons.

Natsu stopped in the doorway, running his hand through his pink hair and his mouth pressed into a hard line. "I remember this room," he said quietly, and Lucy glanced at him questioningly, pausing in approaching a chair off to the left side of the large table in the room. Brandish was already seated there, looking uncomfortable and keeping her dark eyes locked on the table. "This is the place we took my book from. Where you guys were before we got you out." And where August had died, he supposed, though he didn't say anything about that aloud.

Larcade had taken up his own seat on the other side of it, but turned his gaze on Natsu with a grim smile. "Yeah," he said. "We don't usually use this room, but…" He gestured to the complex technology that had been set up. "This was the only room we could set up a projector and stuff to have proper conference calls with other people and not look unprofessional, which was kind of important. Still is. The laptop's connected to a projector," he pointed to each in turn, with the laptop residing at the end of the table and the projector hanging from the ceiling, "and projects the image on that wall beside you."

Natsu cocked his head as he settled into the chair on Lucy's other side. She shifted, wincing when he accidentally bumped what remained of her right arm, and he mumbled an apology under his breath that earned him a reassuring smile. "So what are we doing in here?"

"Contacting Bosco," said Brandish, reaching for the wireless keyboard and mouse that was in the center of the table. She managed to snag it with a bit of over-extending and then settled back into her seat. "We sent word last night that we needed everyone important there, so…" She checked the time at the corner of the screen suddenly displayed by the projector. "We're two minutes late." She glared viciously at Larcade.

"Not my fault," he protested, throwing his hands up. "They'll get it. S'been busy."

"We're on a schedule," Brandish said irritably as she set up the call to Bosco with practiced movements. "She's got a flight tonight at nine," she jabbed a finger at Lucy, who looked completely startled by that, "and he's got a meeting with advisers at three-thirty about a coronation," Natsu took on an equally as confused expression, "and both still have to be announced to the actual countries themselves-"

Someone clearing their throat caught the group of four's attention and they all looked up to find a similar situation displayed upon the projected image, instead with more people - most of which Lucy and Natsu recognized on sight.

Jellal sat at the head of the table, with a faintly amused look on his face. To his left were the others of Crime Sorciere. Meredy was closest to him, with a delighted grin on her happy face, while Cobra was between she and Kinana. He squinted suspiciously at the screen, as if not entirely believing what he was seeing, and Kinana giggled as he and Sorano made equally disbelieving expressions. The advisers were all seated on Jellal's right, and their pinched expressions faltered at the sight of their queen seated quite comfortably beside the one who was supposed to become the Empire's emperor.

Larcade didn't miss the shock that flashed over a few faces - both friends and not-friends - when they took in the scarring on Natsu's face and the fact that Lucy was missing an arm. Larcade didn't know why such a thing was so surprising. He knew for a fact that more than one of them had heard all about how Lucy's arm had been removed to keep the magic of END's book from killing her.

Brandish pressed her mouth into a hard line, looking flustered by having not noticed, and Larcade grinned at the expression on her face before wincing when Cobra suddenly grinned near maniacally at the advisers on the other side of the table and nearly purred, "What was that you were saying about us needing to replace the queen?"

One man in particular scowled at Cobra, face twisted with disgust, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me?" she said under her breath, and Natsu gently nudged her. To be fair, they'd been gone for seven years.

"It's good to see you again, Lucy, Natsu," Jellal said pleasantly, voice calm and reassuring. "I won't ask where you've been, though I'm sure it would make for an interesting story. How long have you been back?"

"A couple of hours," Lucy replied, taking over the conversation. She took a deep breath. "And it's not a very long story, but you're right. It's best left for later. Apparently, as I'm sure you've heard, I'll be back in Bosco by tomorrow night." Natsu didn't look too happy by the idea, but said nothing, doubting it would be useful to throw a fit over the matter. Lucy didn't look very happy about it either, Larcade thought, and felt a little bad for them.

"It would be beneficial," Meredy said suddenly, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "to announce your returns today though. We think a few countries have been eyeing us, though they're reluctant to attack with Fiore's protection."

"Have they now," Lucy said, narrowing her eyes. She scowled. "Good to know I come back from the brink of death and find that everything we fought for is about to break into pieces anyways." The blonde rocked back in her seat with a huff, and Cobra snickered.

"What's wrong, Blondie?" he crooned, and Kinana made an exasperated sound, waving at him as if to indicate that she'd tried unsuccessfully to get him to drop the odd attitude that day. "Did ya think it'd be any different?"

She responded with a rude gesture that made the advisers on Bosco's end mutter with disapproval, although they all ignored the advisers. Jellal cast them a rather sharp look, not entirely happy with them on a good day, and Cobra looked like a very smug cat as he sat back, finished with his goal of pissing most of the people around him off.

"Yes," said Natsu bluntly, sounding angry. The pink-haired man suddenly rocked forward, gaze darkening. Lucy glanced at him in surprise, and frowned a little. She doubted this was going to be good, but kept quiet, figuring it was best to let him speak for the time being. "You had seven years to sort this out. Yeah," he said hastily when Sorano opened her mouth, "you didn't have Lucy, and the Empire didn't have an emperor. But you bastards knew what you were getting into. On this side, too," he added, shooting Brandish and Larcade a glare.

Larcade huffed. They'd been doing their best, he wanted to protest, but there was something in Natsu's face that made him keep quiet. Brandish glanced at him, and he grimaced. She clearly felt the same way.

"You had _seven years_ ," Natsu repeated. "We've had two weeks, and even then, Lucy's had less than twenty-four hours because she was out for most of it. So yeah. We thought it'd be different when we came home. Maybe not perfect, but we didn't fight a war against Zeref and Acnologia only for you bastards to let another start. You," he jabbed a finger towards Larcade and Brandish, "could have asked for help, and you," this time he glared at those within the screen, "could have, too. Fairy Tail doesn't just help Fiore, you know. And even if they took the brunt of the end of the war, Fiore would have done its damn hardest to help. We had _allies_ during the War. Why the hell haven't you gone to them for help?

"What the hell's wrong with all of you? We've been here for like three seconds and your first comments are about how useful we are. Do you not remember dealing with the loss of magic?" He fisted a hand and pushed it over his heart. "We've got etherious material in us just so we can live and that's it. There's _nothing_ else. It's empty. Igneel's magic is gone, and so are the Spirits. We haven't gotten the chance to get used to that. We're people, not...tools. Queen, emperor, or not. So chill the hell out, sit down, and figure it out."

Jellal's lips quirked. "You'll make a fine emperor, Natsu," he said warmly before sitting back. "Bosco's situation is not as dire as Meredy made it seem." Meredy grimaced apologetically. "Nothing is confirmed. Merely suspicions have been held about such things."

Brandish and Larcade exchanged another anxious look. "We, err, didn't think we should be asking until recently," Larcade admitted quietly. "Our country was at fault. We were at fault for the War, even if it was mostly Zeref. We had no business asking for help."

"As much as you might think that," Sorano said quietly from where she was seated, her dark eyes shockingly gentle, "asking for help when you need it, and from people you were at war with, nonetheless, is not weakness or wrong. Your people are relying on you. By admitting that you were at fault and that you are now trying to make up for it...there is nothing wrong with such a thing, Mr. Dragneel."

Natsu made a face, finding it extremely odd that someone else shared his last name. Larcade swallowed thickly at her words, however, and said quietly, "Thank you." To Natsu, he said, "And we're sorry. For rushing everything. We've been waiting for a long time for you guys to show up, but...we never thought you'd not have had the same seven years. We have to schedule a coronation now for the Empire, but...Brandish can make the advisers push it off for a few months. So you have time to visit Fairy Tail first, or something."

Natsu blinked, surprised, and then glanced at Lucy. She smiled warmly at him, though there was a hint of sadness in her gaze. She was Bosco's queen, not just a princess anymore. She had vowed to take care of her country first when she'd been coronated, and she would do just that. Which meant she'd not go home to Fairy Tail until everything had calmed down. "You should go," she said softly. "At least let them see one of us. And we owe them an explanation."

He looked ready to do just that, but he shook his head. "Not until you can go, too," he said firmly, and her smile widened briefly. He turned to Brandish and Larcade, focused on them entirely. "Make it within a week so we can get this stuff figured out."

Brandish, for the first time, looked like she approved of him, and he grinned almost mockingly at her. Like hell he wouldn't torment the young woman as he'd done everyone else in his life. He'd make her regret that approval just because he could.

Lucy playfully reached over to poke him with her good side and then told those in Bosco, "Apparently I have a flight tonight, as I said, so I'll be there sometime in the next two days."

"That will work," agreed Jellal. "Thank you, Lucy, and you as well, Natsu. Forgive us for our...eagerness to get things dealt with. We are as determined as you to have the peace we worked so hard to achieve."

Natsu shrugged, not too angry anymore, and then sputtered when Meredy said slyly, "So are we doing this alliance business that Gray mentioned at one point or another?"

"Meredy," Sorano seethed when Lucy and Natsu exchanged wide-eyed looks, neither having planned on something that quickly, and Cobra cackled. "I forgot about that," he muttered, smirking at them.

Apologetically, Jellal said, "It would help both countries at this time…"

"It would," agreed Brandish, "and you promised August."

Nasu winced at that reminder but shifted uneasily, looking to Lucy for guidance. She simply said, "We have other matters first. Let's deal with what we can when I get to Bosco, get us announced, and then deal with the commotion of _that_ before we start working on an official alliance."

There was a large amount of agreement for that plan, even from the advisers in Bosco. "So," said Kinana after a moment, her lips curved into a warm smile. "How shall we announce your return to the world? We'll need to focus on announcing it to Fairy Tail, of course."

Natsu grinned, rocking back in his chair all the way. "It's Fairy Tail," he practically purred, and Lucy snorted softly, hiding her smile behind her hand. "Gotta make it as spectacular as possible."

It was, much to the surprise of everyone present, Brandish who said, "We've got a set of thrones." Silence fell; all attention was placed upon her and she looked among those in the room and then those on the screen. "We have the emperor's throne, as well as the matching throne for the empress. Since we've got both the future emperor and empress, we could photograph them on the thrones. A live broadcast would be better, but there's too much to do."

"They've got the Alvarez sigil on them," Larcade agreed happily, grinning at her. "It would announce the alliance without really announcing the alliance. Lucy on an Alvarez throne would warn the other countries that Bosco and the Empire are friends. We'll get a picture taken, maybe broadcast a live message from the Empire this evening since you guys will have a lot to do with Lucy getting there tomorrow...and you can get the news groups aware of it while we do the photo."

Jellal inclined his head. "That would work. Sorano, will you get to work on that with Meredy? I'll deliver an announcement myself."

"Sure," the two women agreed simultaneously, looking content with their job.

"Then let's get you two dressed up," said Brandish, looking to Lucy and Natsu. She eyed Lucy's dress, which she'd refused to switch out. "That dress will work perfectly. We'll add some jewelry with blue, to symbolize Bosco...and a red tie will do with a suit on you," she added to Natsu. "For the Empire's colors. The matching will further emphasize an intended alliance."

"We have not approved of this," an adviser on Bosco's end suddenly said sharply. "This is ridiculous. An alliance with the country that started a war with us? We won't allow it-"

"Then you're fired," Lucy said sharply, cutting him off with a very smug smirk when he glared at her. Jellal coughed to hide a laugh when the adviser sputtered. "I expect you to be gone by the time I arrive. Does anyone else have an objection?" Silence. "Good. Then we best get started." She rose to her feet, flicking hair over her shoulder. Natsu hopped to his feet as well, eager to follow Lucy wherever she went.

* * *

The announcement would come that afternoon, after everything was set up. A specific time was declared, and when the time came for Lucy to leave for Bosco, everything had been sent up and was ready to begin.

Natsu and Lucy, however, weren't entirely ready, Larcade realized. He was due in ten minutes to make a speech on live TV, and Brandish was practically seething with impatience where she stood beside him, ready to drag him there with her own two hands. But Larcade had wanted to bid Lucy farewell, not knowing when they'd see her again - and both thank her and apologize for so much.

She'd ditched the dress that had once been summoned to her with magic, lovingly placing it in a bag that she'd been given. A nice car was waiting just a few feet away to take her and two guards accompanying her to the airport. As she ducked out of the palace, side-by-side with Natsu, she was smiling calmly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Natsu clutched her hand like a lifeline, not eager to let go of it.

"Lucy," Larcade said to catch her attention. She paused, looking to him, and he shoved a hand through his pale hair with a grimace.

"I wanted to apologize," he told her. "For everything the Empire did in the past, no matter who was at fault. It was still the Alvarez Empire who was involved, and we are grateful for the benevolence you and Bosco are showing our country. I'm also sorry that you don't have time to adjust before you're being sent off. I hope in the future, if the alliance goes through, you can maybe live here - or in Bosco - in peace."

Lucy looked very queen-like, he thought, as she smiled kindly and said, "You have nothing to apologize for Larcade. And thank you...I fully intend to make both countries into as much a home as Fairy Tail and Fiore are."

Natsu made a sound, and Larcade was startled to realize that his uncle was nearly desperate as she finally turned to look at him. Lucy gently shook his hand off and reached up, looking sad that she didn't have two arms to do this with. She gently touched his cheek, fingers curling along his cheekbone and brushing over the scars. He leaned heavily into the touch, gaze locked with hers. "It's not like last time," she said softly. "I'll see you again, you idiot."

"I promised I'd go wherever you go," he said thickly, and Lucy laughed faintly, tears rising and falling down her cheeks. "And I can't keep that promise now."

"And I'm giving you permission to break it." Lucy patted his cheek gently. "I'll call you when I get to Bosco, and we can video-call each other."

"It's not the same. And we don't know if the etherious will hold, Luce. What if Cobra didn't figure everything out right? I don't want to get a call that-"

"I know." Lucy kissed him gently, tenderly, and he responded by crushing her to him, arms sliding around her. A shudder rippled through him when she pulled back to rest her forehead against his, searching his gaze. Larcade and Brandish averted their eyes to give the pair some privacy for a moment. "It's the same for me, Natsu. But don't think like that. We'll make a time, as soon as we can, and go visit Fairy Tail. I want to meet all of the new additions, and it'd be good to see our family."

He mumbled his agreement and buried his face in her throat. She hugged him back just as tightly for a few moments and then took a shuddering breath. She pulled back, gave him a final kiss to the cheek, and then stepped back. Natsu let his fingers catch briefly on her hair, letting the golden strands trail through them before he dropped his hands to his sides, curling them into fists.

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then Lucy was whirling away, striding hastily for the car and wiping at her tear-streaked cheeks with determination. Natsu watched her intently, even as the car door closed behind her. He watched after it even after it was out of sight, touching his chest, where he knew scars rivaling those on his face resided over the orb that had been placed there to stabilize the lack of magic in his body.

"We need to get going," Brandish told Larcade, who watched Natsu for a few moments. "You're live in five minutes."

"Are you coming?" Larcade asked Natsu as he agreed, turning to follow her.

Natsu finally tore his eyes away from where Lucy had long since gone and said, "Sure. Might as well see how this kind of thing works."

Softening as they started walking for the doors, Larcade said, "I'll help you get things figured out so you can see her sooner rather than later."

To his surprise, Natsu pushed a wide grin to his face, as if it wasn't streaked by salty tears. "Thanks, Larcade." He paused and then suddenly snorted. "You're my nephew, right? Kinda weird since you're technically older than me now...when's your birthday? Lucy said you didn't get to celebrate it a lot and that I should make up for seven years worth. Since you're family and everything."

Larcade didn't think he'd ever smiled as hard as he did then.

* * *

 _Eyyy, some returning Natsu/Lucy from the Celestial Realm! ;) I'm gonna do some Afterwards soon, I think!_


End file.
